With the total eclipse, new moon, and equinox signifying a time of releasing and new beginnings, what sticks out to me is how some activities have a dual nature. For example, every ending is a new beginning, drinking is both action (pouring) and reaction (receiving the pour).  Coaching, as I see it, is you both sharing your experience with your coach and doing the work necessary to progress toward your goals. Coaches, at the same time, are holding space for us to share and also co-creating the awareness it takes to transform our situations.  In this moment of both releasing what h ..read more

‘Cos there’s only one you. That is the answer I gave during the International Women’s Day Celebration in Seattle and to a client recently, now let me explain. Some of us don’t look like you’d expect, especially in tech. I know this and then I forget. It hit me once while giving a talk to PyData PDX and I saw the organizer, and only visible woman (other than us speakers), put on a bright shade of red lipstick to make a point. I got the point loud and clear. To be able to show up in a space and be your full, authentic, vivacious self, you would need to know what you need in a place and do your ..read more

As a continuation of my Book Club review of the Industrial Revolution and The Song of Significance by Seth Godin, I have come away with the idea that once change reaches the Tipping Point and becomes a revolution, the momentum makes it seem inevitable.  In the course of this tidal wave of change, there can be a choice to refocus our efforts or to harness the technology to create convenience.  Some ideas that I’m pulling from Seth: When we go for significance we are choosing humanity.  To embrace humanity we embrace creativity, agency, and a sustainable workload  Leader ..read more

Even in working with leaders at the forefront of technological innovation, I thought to recommend looking at the past to inform the future. For my book club readings this quarter I got the idea to read up on the Industrial Revolution and then happened onto The Song of Significance by Seth Godin. In thinking about how the AI revolution has already begun and what that could mean for us today and into the future, I could not have picked a better book bundle for myself. That said, here are my top takeaways from the reading: The Writing on the Wall Change often telegraphs itself before it arr ..read more

Ready for some spring cleaning in your career? It will be easier to toss out what isn’t working for you if you know it no longer serves its purpose. This is precisely why I am a proponent of documenting your decisions so you can refer back to them when the stuff hits the fan or you plan your next move. Key ways I see this showing up with clients include: Trying to remember the original intent of a project or role in a startup Recognizing that the role or approach needs to change during an expansion Identifying what the parameters are when asking for change The first step is to documen ..read more

Am I normal? That is a question I get asked in one way or another as leaders work to unpack their challenges and try different modes of being. As an optimist who sees the glass as half full and strives to empower, coach, and be a cheerleader for leaders who often see things differently, I also recognize that there is no comparison because you are unique. I find it frustrating when I do not have or get answers. I get it. At the same time, I realize that the reason why I do not want to answer this question is because I don’t want to limit the person asking.While there is comfort in knowing t ..read more

For all intents and purposes I am a career changer.  I went from being an Emmy award winning video editor to a software trainer to a career coach. After supporting others during this journey I have come to believe that there is no such thing as a career change even when you feel like your career has nine lives. Making it Make Sense In what began as an exercise to make a resume make sense I began asking clients what inspired them to enroll in their education program, take the first role, and the next, and the next. Since my gift is in connecting the dots between ideas I was able to see ..read more

What it means to have the writing on the wall, from where I sit, is that some signs and signals can make a person suspicious that the situation will change. A lot of decisions about work and business can happen in rooms where we are not. The moment you see the writing start is the time to begin planning for what is next and defining what it is you want or need. I say this because, often, by the time you can read the writing the change that is happening is a choice someone else already made. What will you do with your observations? I'm asking, for a friend Tweet ..read more

Not loving your job is a data point to help you turn things around. It does suck not to feel good about your work, your role, or your work situation. The suck is not where you have to be stuck. I empower leaders to have confidence in their careers by helping them own the power they do haveas a way to change their situation. As I map this out I am seeing this as the 3Es. Expand To redefine what is possible, I begin by expanding how we think about a situation. This means that instead of ‘this situation sucks,’ we can shift into ‘what can we do so this doesn’t suck so much?’ This expanded thoug ..read more

The stress of the market with tech layoffs and global teams requiring relentless meetings has me noticing a trend: Acknowledge the Wins In coaching, I have learned to ask what someone is taking away from the conversation but a refreshing shift is in asking about their wins. There are so many ways where we do not feel like we are winning that to be asked that feels like a tough but welcome question. What is not lost on me is that even though I have a years-long recommendation that we celebrate the victories, I have to pare that back into a first step or a pre-step of even acknowledging when ..read more